For most of his career, the Kansas City Chiefs could trust Harrison Butker to get the job done. Regardless of the weather conditions, the context, or the stakes, the veteran kicker was usually a weapon for Andy Reid.
Now, Butker has become a liability. The controversial kicker hasn't been as sharp this season, and he's cost the team multiple times. One could even make a case for him costing them the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Even so, there could be a light at the end of the tunnel.
Harrison Butker's Struggles Forcing Andy Reid's Hand to the Chiefs' Benefit
Reid and special teams coordinator Dave Toub have had Butker's back. It would've been easier to simply find him a replacement, and it's not like the Chiefs didn't have any feasible options to choose from.
Instead, their decision to support him has forced them to be a much more aggressive team on fourth down, so it's actually helped them in a way. They went for it on fourth down twice in the win over the Washington Commanders, and they succeeded twice.
Through eight weeks, they've already matched last season's total of fourth down conversion attempts (17). They went from being 26th in the league in that regard last season all the way to 5th this season.
Historically, Andy Reid's Chiefs were never an aggressive team on fourth down. They were dead last in the league in attempts in 2019, 26th in 2020, 31st in 2021, 31st in 2022, and 23rd in 2023, according to StatMuse.
Year | 4th Down Attempts | Rank | Conversion Rate | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | 10 | 32nd | 60.0% | 5th |
2020 | 16 | 26th | 56.3% | 18th |
2021 | 15 | 31st | 66.7% | 1st |
2022 | 12 | 31st | 75.0% | 2nd |
2023 | 20 | 23rd | 50.0% | 19th |
2024 | 17 | 26th | 70.6% | 3rd |
2025 | 17 | 5th | 82.4% | 3rd |
Despite their lack of attempts, they've usually been successful when they've decided to do so. Of course, some of that is expected (if you're only going for it when it's easy, you should convert more often), but being more aggressive doesn't seem to be hurting that efficiency at all. The Chiefs have the third-highest conversion rate in the NFL this season (82.4%), trailing only the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots, which are tied at 83.33 percent.
This season, Butker has missed three of his 15 field goal attempts and three of his 25 extra-point attempts. That's clearly not good enough for a proven veteran, and especially not for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
But if there's any silver lining, it's that the Chiefs are being more aggressive, and that could be helpful in high-stakes situation if they ever need a crucial fourth-down conversion. The team will feel ready and confident in their ability to execute because they've had to do it way too many times throughout the course of the season.